U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed the nation's appreciation for Kosovo's willingness to take in war refugees.
During a July 26 meeting with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and officials, Blinken emphasized the partnership between the U.S. and Kosovo, according to a news release. Among other things, those attending the meeting discussed the EU-facilitated dialogue aimed normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, as well as war refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
"We are working together on so many different issues of import to the United States and to our countries," Blinken said in the release. "I want to thank you again for your generous hosting of at-risk Afghans, the strong support that we've seen from day one for Ukraine faced with the Russian aggression, the work that you're doing on the Summit for Democracy, including hosting a summit on women, peace and security – and, Madam President, I particularly appreciate your leadership on this."
During her remarks, Osmani referred to an "independent, sovereign, free Kosovo" as "an irreversible reality" the U.S. helped create and called out Russian President Vladimir Putin for his ongoing war in Ukraine and efforts to destabilize the Western Balkans, according to the release
"Putin will continue to try to destabilize Europe also through the Western Balkans," Osmani said in the release. "We will continue to need the steadfast support of the United States, as well as our European allies, to make sure that the plans of Russia as well as its proxies in the region are stopped. For that reason, we look forward to working with you, with all of the Biden administration, to make sure that as frontliners in defending democracy, we are successful in defending our shared values, which are the very foundations of our country."
"The United States supports Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic and international integration and the EU-facilitated Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue," Blinken said in a July 26 Twitter post. "We appreciate Kosovo's hospitality to Afghans and its firm support for Ukraine."
The day after the meeting, the Kosovan officials also signed a compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation to assist Kosovo's renewable energy building efforts. The compact approved a five year, $202 million agreement with Kosovo's government to fund that nation's energy concerns.
